Lawyer for Lil Poopy’s dad says arrest is police harassment

The father of Brockton’s pint-sized rapper, “Lil Poopy” was among 25 people arrested during a massive drug and gun sweep in the city Wednesday. His lawyer calls arrest of child rapper’s dad a case of police harassment.

The lawyer for the father of Brockton’s pint-sized rapper, “Lil Poopy,” said his client’s latest arrest on assault and drug charges is harassment by Brockton police.

“I certainly do believe that they are harassing him at this point,” said Brockton attorney Joseph Krowski Jr., who is representing Luis M. Rivera.

Rivera, 30, was among 25 people arrested during a massive drug and gun sweep in the city on Wednesday.

Lt. Paul Bonanca, the spokesman for the Brockton Police Department, declined to take questions from a reporter on Thursday. Police Chief Emanuel Gomes could not be reached for comment on Thursday night.

Rivera’s arrest came as the state Department of Children and Families completed a second investigation this week into his 10-year-old son’s home life.

Cayenne Isaksen, a spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Families, said that investigation concluded this week with no findings of abuse or neglect. She would not say what day the investigation concluded.

“The department did not find evidence to support allegations of abuse or neglect in this instance,” Isaksen said Thursday night.

The state’s child welfare agency launched a second probe into the home life of Rivera’s son, Luie “Lil Poopy” Rivera Jr., in early May after the boy was found as a passenger in a car that Brockton police stopped, Isaksen said.

Brian Slay, who had been working with Rivera shooting a video, was stopped by Brockton police at McDonald’s about 1 a.m. one morning in early May with the young boy in the passenger seat, Krowski said at the time.

Police said they smelled marijuana and searched the vehicle, but found no drugs, Krowski said at the time.

On Thursday, Krowski said there’s a concerted effort by police – not all city police officers, but some – to target his client.

“We think this is part of an overall plan to make life difficult for (Rivera) as part of the initial (state) investigation,” Krowski said Thursday.

Authorities arrested Rivera, of 103 Green St., Apt. 1, Brockton, on Wednesday on a default warrant on a charge of assault and battery and charged him with possession of marijuana, police said.

Krowski said the elder Rivera was “completely perplexed” by his recent arrest.

Krowski said police allege Rivera’s warrant arrest was for an assault and battery charge stemming from an argument Rivera had with someone in early April. The drug charge was for “a small amount of marijuana,” but Krowski did not specify how much.

Krowski said Rivera posted $1,000 bail after Wednesday’s arrest and his next court date is June 19.

DCF closed an investigation into the family with no finding of child abuse in early April.

That investigation began in February when Brockton police saw videos of the child rapper dancing in sexually-suggestive situations with adult women. Police filed a suspected abuse or neglect report with the state agency, which triggered that probe.

Page 2 of 2 - Wednesday’s drug and gun sweep targeted drug dealing, illegal guns and gang activity, and involved more than 100 law enforcement personnel from local, state and federal departments and agencies.